Autumn spider invasion- coping with Britain’s biggest fear

September 26th, 2011

September to October is infamously known as Spider Season, with an unusual abundance of large black house spiders scuttling about our homes. How will the two-thirds of all Britons terrified of these eight-legged creatures cope?

Autumn 2011 has seen the biggest influx of spiders creeping about UK houses in recent years. This is due to the particularly warm spring that encouraged an influx of pollen, and in turn encouraged an influx of insects- or in other words, spider food.

With all the extra grubs to gorge themselves on, spider numbers have increased. The females start to wonder into our homes when the weather gets colder and they need a warm dark crevice to huddle up in. They find refuge in our cupboards, behind furniture and under floorboards.

Males appear soon after, following a pheromone trail in order to locate the lurking females. This is why we often find large spiders scuttling around in the open.

Once the male has mated with the female, usually by the end of October, the female spider will eat him. If she doesn’t, the male will tend to lose interest in food and slowly starve to death. This is due to the idea that male spiders are solely programmed to reproduce.

UK house spiders can be very big, with some reaching a 5inch leg-span. According to a recent study, the biggest phobia in the UK is arachnophobia- the fear of spiders. For many Britons, autumn can be a hair-raising period.

Spider expert Steve Dickie puts the fear down to their strange appearance and unpredictable nature: “Spiders can move very quickly and some spiders jump, so some people start panicking because it is so alien to them.”

If you find a spider in your house, it is advisable to capture it with a glass and a card, and release it outside. UK spiders cannot seriously hurt humans as their jaws are not strong enough to bite through our relatively tough skin.

If you have arachnophobia and would like to do something about it, you may wish to consider hypnotherapy. To find out more about what hypnotherapy can do for phobias, or to locate a hypnotherapist near you, please visit the Hypnotherapy Directory.